Conveyor belts are commonly used for conveying articles during cooling, drying, coating, cooking and many other applications. Examples of conveyor belts used for such applications include wire mesh belts, flat or ribbon wire belts (also referred to as honeycomb belts), and balanced weave belts. One example of a flat wire belt is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,501,319, incorporated herein by reference. One example of a balanced weave belt is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 5,375,695, incorporated herein by reference. Each of these belts are advantageous, for food processing in particular, because they provide flexibility, an open, flow-through construction, a sanitary construction, simple installation and maintenance, and the ability to be positively driven
Conveyor belt manufacturers have always searched for ways to reduce the amount of material and time needed to manufacture these conveyor belts as well as to reduce the weight. Prior attempts at reducing weight and material, however, have resulted in a significant decrease in belt strength. Reducing belt material can also result in larger spaces through the belt that allow smaller articles to fall through.
Accordingly, what is needed is a conveyor belt having less material and a lighter weight without significantly decreasing the belt strength and without creating excessively large spaces.